Business, Spoken
2,372 episodes — Page 5 of 48
A DOJ Settlement Would Show Binance Is Too Big to Fail
The US government is reportedly willing to suspend criminal charges against crypto exchange Binance, provided it steps into line—and pays $4 billion.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Climate Activists Tell the EV Industry to Fix Its Filthy Supply Chain
EV production often relies on coal power and harmful labor practices. Climate activists in Squid Games costumes disrupted the LA Auto Show this weekend to demand urgent change.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Watchdog Group Calls for an Investigation of X’s Sneaky New Ads
Industry watchdog Check My Ads is petitioning the Federal Trade Commission to investigate X for unlabeled—and potentially misleading—advertisements.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sweden’s Tesla Blockade Is Spreading
Starting Friday, dockworkers in all Swedish ports will refuse to offload Teslas, cleaning crews will no longer clean showrooms, and mechanics won’t fix charging points as the labor dispute rages on.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Government Is Now the Hottest Tech Employer in Town
Meta, Google, Amazon, and other major tech firms have laid off thousands of people. The public sector has tried—and in some cases, succeeded—to lure them in.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Google DeepMind’s AI Weather Forecaster Handily Beats a Global Standard
Machine learning algorithms that digested decades of weather data were able to forecast 90 percent of atmospheric measures more accurately than Europe’s top weather center.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The First Small-Scale Nuclear Plant in the US Died Before It Could Live
Six nuclear reactors just 9 feet across planned for Idaho were supposed to prove out the dream of cheap, small-scale nuclear energy. Now the project has been canceled.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
GM’s Cruise Rethinks Its Robotaxi Strategy After Admitting a Software Fault in Gruesome Crash
Cruise set out to win the autonomous car race by starting with urban driving. After a pedestrian was dragged under a robotaxi, the company and its parent GM are cutting jobs and making other changes. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
This New Breed of AI Assistant Wants to Do Your Boring Office Chores
An experimental AI helper attempts to operate a web browser in the same way a human does to take on office admin like processing invoices or screening job applicants.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
This AI Bot Fills Out Job Applications for You While You Sleep
AI-powered services like LazyApply zip through the grunt work of job applications, helping one programmer apply for 5,000 jobs. But they can make mistakes, and some recruiters scorn the technology.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
WeWork Just Filed For Bankruptcy
The troubled coworking company has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. WeWork says locations will remain open.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Elon Musk Announces Grok, a ‘Rebellious’ AI Without Guardrails
xAI, Elon Musk’s new company, claims to have built a powerful language model with cutting-edge performance in just two months.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Joe Biden Wants US Government Algorithms Tested for Potential Harm Against Citizens
Draft rules from the White House would require federal agencies to assess AI systems currently in use in law enforcement, health care, and other areas—and to shut down any algorithms doing harm.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
World Powers Say They Want to Contain AI. They’re Also Racing to Advance It
The US, China, and others signed a declaration coordinated by the UK warning AI could be “catastrophic.” Yet none seem to be suggesting development of the technology should slow down.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sam Bankman-Fried Sealed His Fate Long Before the FTX Trial
Prior to his arrest, the FTX founder did a string of media interviews to tell his side of the story. In the courtroom, those comments came back to haunt him.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Joe Biden’s Big AI Plan Sounds Scary—but Lacks Bite
Joe Biden’s new executive order is billed as the biggest governmental AI plan ever. Unless he can convince a dysfunctional US Congress and overseas rivals to play along, its effects will be limited.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
25-Year Lasagna, Special Ops Oatmeal, and the Survival Food Boom
The ranks of doomsday preppers have swelled since the pandemic, with many stocking up on freeze-dried rations in case things go bad.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The GitHub Black Market That Helps Coders Cheat the Popularity Contest
Popularity on GitHub can open valuable doors for developers and startups. Underground stores sell “stars” on the platform, offering coders a way to literally fake it till they make it.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Why Read Books When You Can Use Chatbots to Talk to Them Instead?
Book publishers are experimenting with chatbot editions of new titles, providing "conversational companions" for readers.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The 5 Instagram Features That US States Say Ruin Teens’ Mental Health
These five features of Instagram helped Meta deceptively hook teens and harm their mental health, allege lawsuits filed today by 42 US states.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Amazon’s AI-Powered Van Inspections Give It a Powerful New Data Feed
Amazon delivery drivers at hundreds of sites around the world will be asked to drive through camera-studded archways that log every dent, scratch, or damaged tire.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US Has Failed to Pass AI Regulation. New York City Is Stepping Up
The US Congress won’t pass federal AI regulation anytime soon. NYC is forging ahead with an AI Action Plan and a proposal for a new Office of Algorithmic Data Integrity.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Crypto Groups Gemini, Genesis, and DCG Sued for $1.1 Billion ‘Fraud’
New York’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against crypto companies, including the Winkelvoss twins’ Gemini, alleging they misled investors.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
AI Is Becoming More Powerful—but Also More Secretive
The companies behind ChatGPT and other popular and powerful AI systems aren’t transparent enough about their training data and how they work, according to a new report from Stanford University.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Teledriving Is a Sneaky Shortcut to Driverless Cars
German startup Vay is pushing teledriving—in which cars are remotely operated by humans—as easier to achieve than fully autonomous driving.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The US Just Escalated Its AI Chip War With China
The American government has tightened its restrictions on exports of chips and chipmaking equipment, closing loopholes that let Chinese companies access advanced technology.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Millions of Workers Are Training AI Models for Pennies
From the Philippines to Colombia, low-paid workers label training data for AI models used by the likes of Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Finding a Tech Job Is Still a Nightmare
Tech companies have laid off more than 400,000 people in the past two years. Competition for the jobs that remain is getting more and more desperate.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Chatbots Are Now Talking to Each Other
ChatGPT-style chatbots that pretend to be people are being used to help companies develop new product and marketing ideas.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Epic Games’ Sale of Bandcamp Has Left the Artist-Friendly Music Platform in Limbo
Bandcamp workers say they are unable to do their jobs and keep the platform operating after being locked out of critical systems. They’re also expecting layoffs.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Doctored Biden Video Is a Test Case for Facebook’s Deepfake Policies
Meta’s Oversight Board is reviewing Facebook’s decision not to remove a manipulated video posted during the US midterms, in an attempt to get it to clarify its policies on election deepfakes.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Deepfake Audio Is a Political Nightmare
British fact-checkers are racing to debunk a suspicious audio recording of UK opposition leader Keir Starmer.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Men Overran a Job Fair for Women in Tech
The Grace Hopper Celebration is meant to unite women in tech. This year droves of men came looking for jobs.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Generative AI Is Coming for Sales Execs’ Jobs—and They’re Celebrating
ChatGPT-style AI can tackle the drudge work of responding to RFPs faster than humans. Sales teams at Google, Twilio, and others say productivity is spiking.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Google Assistant Finally Gets a Generative AI Glow-Up
Google is adding AI capabilities from its chatbot Bard to the humble Google Assistant, allowing the virtual helper to make sense of images and draw on data in documents and emails.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Sam Bankman-Fried Is a Terrible Client
Criminal defendants often decline to testify at trial for fear of incriminating themselves. For FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, that could be the best option.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The 15-Minute City Conspiracy Theory Goes Mainstream
The fringe idea that cities built for biking and walking are part of a government plot has been picked up by … the UK government.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The Global Victims of FTX’s Collapse Won’t Get Their Day in Court
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is about to stand trial in the US. But many customers who lost big when the exchange collapsed are unlikely to get their money back.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
FedEx’s New Robot Loads Delivery Vans Like It’s Playing 3D Tetris
FedEx handles over 15 million packages daily. A two-armed, AI-infused robot is now helping pack some of them into delivery vans with expert care.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Idris Elba Is Ready to Talk About Crypto
During the crypto gold rush, Idris Elba says he turned down a lot of “mad opportunities.” Now he has partnered with the “crypto-for-good” Stellar Development Foundation.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
FBI Agents Are Using Face Recognition Without Proper Training
The FBI makes heavy use of face recognition services like that of controversial startup Clearview AI, but 95 percent of the agents using them haven’t completed training on the technology.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
ChatGPT Can Now Talk to You—and Look Into Your Life
ChatGPT inches closer to feature parity with the seductive AI assistant from Her, thanks to an upgrade that adds voice and image recognition to the chatbot.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Workers Demand Job Security in the Autonomous, Electrified Future of Transport
Truck drivers, auto workers, and others are fighting for the greener, smarter era of transportation to also include better pay and more protections for humans.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Meet the Law Geeks Exposing Google’s Secretive Antitrust Trial
A historic antitrust trial sees Google accused of unlawfully monopolizing search. A handful of antitrust activists are trying to make sure the world sees all the action.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Amazon Upgrades Alexa for the ChatGPT Era
A sweeping upgrade to Amazon’s Alexa taps AI technology like that behind ChatGPT and also allows the virtual assistant to attempt to read body language.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
TikTok Shop Has a Snail Slime Problem
TikTok Shop, which launched in the US last week, is littered with impossibly cheap—and fake—products. Snail slime is just the beginning.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Pay Transparency Is Sweeping Across the US
New York joined a wave of states that require pay transparency in job ads. New data suggests most US postings now include a salary range, but they are sometimes laughably vague.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
Teachers Are Going All In on Generative AI
Surveys suggest teachers use generative AI more than students, to create lesson plans or more interesting word problems. Educators say it can save valuable time but must be used carefully.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
A Concrete Crisis Has the UK Literally Crumbling
Hundreds of schools, hospitals, and other public buildings made from RAAC, a cheap, lightweight concrete, have to close—the victims of quick fixes and decades of cost-cutting.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices
The iPhone 15 Opts for Intuitive AI, Not Generative AI
Apple ignored the tech industry's obsession with generative AI at the new iPhone launch, offering subtler AI features that make everyday tasks like photography and phone calls better.Read this story here. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices